The Sacra di San Michele: medieval charm

 We discover one of the symbols of Piedmont, which inspired the book ‘The Name of the Rose’.

The Abbey of San Michele della Chiusa, known as Sacra di San Michele, is a grandiose complex located on the summit of Mount Pirchiriano at the entrance to the Susa Valley. The entire structure risked decay in the 17th century as a consequence of its suppression by order of Pope Gregory XV, urged by Maurice of Savoy, Cardinal Protector of France. Legend attributes its foundation to St. John Vincent upon the intervention, through a vision, of the Archangel Michael, but it appears that a small Lombard temple dedicated to St. Michael already existed on the same site. A shrine was erected in the 10th century by Hugon of Montboissier, a French nobleman. In the 12th century, an imposing extension was begun, marking the Benedictine abbey's heyday. After the 14th century, the complex suffered first a serious fire and then looting by Boson's English troops. Subsequently, the abbey was reduced to commendation and, as a result, began its decline. In 1622, it was deprived of its possessions by Pope Gregory XV in order to allocate them to the Collegiate Church of San Lorenzo Martire in Giaveno. A few years later, it was devastated by the French militia. The Sacra di San Michele building is an example of a fortified monastery, composed of parts from different eras, it is considered a national monument and is the symbolic monument of Piedmont. Noteworthy are the steep ‘Staircase of the Dead’ with its 243 steps carved into the rock and so called because monks were buried along its walls; noteworthy is the beautiful ‘Gate of the Zodiac’ with Romanesque sculptures. On the capitals of the door itself, one can admire stories of Samson and Cain and Abel, while the jambs are adorned with fantastic friezes, the signs of the zodiac and the signature of the painter Nicholaus is evident in the door itself; in addition, one can find the equally Romanesque remains of the ‘Monks’ Sepulchre'. The panoramic terrace in front of the entrance offers a spectacular view. One reaches the 12th-13th century Church of St Michael and enters through a Romanesque portal. The ornaments include the altar in the right apse, carved from a Roman altar, high reliefs decorating the large window in the presbytery, pictorial cycles in the right aisle and a triptych by the painter Defendente Ferrari on the high altar. A staircase descends to the crypt of the church, which still contains some remains of the original construction. Inside the complex, the tower of the beautiful Alda, dating back to the 13th century, stands out, overhanging the precipice, approximately twenty metres high. Legend tells of a beautiful maiden named Alda who threw herself from the tower to escape enemy soldiers, but was saved by two angels in flight through the intercession of the Virgin Mary. Later, she wanted to repeat the feat for boasting, defying the Virgin Mary in the process, was punished and thus smashed to the ground. This is a recurring legend with different nuances depending on location. The Benedictine abbey, whose existence is documented since 998, represented throughout the late Middle Ages a reference point for all pilgrims in transit from France. Through the Sacra di San Michele, in fact, passed the Via Francigena, part of the Roman roads that led from Western Europe to Apulia, where the ports of embarkation for the Holy Land were located. In the 19th century, the House of Savoy ordered various restoration works that succeeded in restoring the complex to its former splendour, and so the abbey was used as a burial ground for members of the royal house itself.

The monastery complex was the inspiration for the historical novel ‘The Name of the Rose’ by Umberto Eco.

Image taken from "Visit Val di Susa"